Digital Screen Time, Sleep Quality, and Their Predictors Among Medical Undergraduates at a Tertiary Care Centre: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Medical undergraduates are at particular risk of sleep disruption, given competing pressures of rigorous academics, clinical training, and the near-constant availability of digital devices. Screen-based device use before bedtime stands out as dominant modern-day disruptor of restful sleep. Hence, we intend to quantify sleep quality and digital screen time and their predictors among medical students. Methods: This was cross-sectional study enrolling 400 MBBS students at tertiary medical college, selected by stratified random sampling. Structured, self-administered questionnaire combining the PSQI and QueST was used for data collection. Results: Mean PSQI score was 7.21±3.63, and 65.75% of students were poor sleepers. Screen exposure during hour before bedtime was reported by 95.5% of participants, with 36.8% reporting use every-night. Social media was the predominant screen activity. Significant bivariate associations were observed between sleep quality and sleep duration, pre-sleep screen use, nocturnal phone checking, and perceived effects of screen use on sleep and daytime concentration. In multivariable logistic regression, compared with sleeping ≥8 hours, sleeping ≤5 hours (aOR: 3.639 95%CI: 1.185, 11.171), 6-hours (aOR:4.319, 95%CI: 1.620, 11.513), and 7-hours (aOR:3.080, 95%CI: 1.120, 8.471) was associated with higher odds of poor sleep quality. Reporting very good subjective sleep quality, compared with very poor subjective sleep quality, was associated with lower odds of poor sleep quality (aOR:0.135, 95%CI: 0.018, 0.992). Conclusion: More than sixty five percent medical students had poor sleep, pre-bedtime social media use, a modifiable predictor. Phase-wise integration of healthy sleep practices and practical digital wellness measures into curriculum is strongly recommended.